The Smartest Scales In The World

The world is full smart kit these days – smartphones, smart watches, smart central heating, smart TVs, etc. – it’s like you can’t throw a stone (not that we’re condoning throwing stones) without hitting something smart! And while it’s easy to question the genuine usefulness of some of this smart tech, one thing that’s undeniably useful is a set of smart scales.

But what can possibly be smart about a set of bathroom scales? You step on them, they tell you how much you weigh, and you walk away wishing you hadn’t eaten that whole pizza the night before. Your set of bathroom scales does its job, and does it well – sometimes too well – so what more could you possibly want?

As it happens, your bathroom scales could be telling you a lot more about your body, your health and your general wellbeing. In fact, even that core data – how much you weigh – isn’t as simple as you might think, and if you’re trying to lose a few kilos and get fitter, basing your progress purely on your overall bodyweight could be self-defeating.

That’s why it’s time to ditch that standard set of bathroom scales and invest in a set of smart scales instead. And when it comes to smart scales, you can’t get much smarter than the Withings Body Cardio. Even the design is smart, with a solid aluminium flat base, ensuring an accurate reading no matter what floor type you might be standing on.

The Body Cardio’s smart credentials start to come into focus when you first set it up – after you’ve downloaded the Withings Health Mate app to your smartphone it will detect the Body Cardio scales. The app will then automatically share your home Wi-Fi settings with the scales and “hey presto!” the Body Cardio becomes a fully connected, smart device.

With the Body Cardio scales connected to your Wi-Fi, every time you step on, your data will be automatically sent up to the cloud and synchronised with the Withings Health Mate app – you don’t even need to have your phone with you when you weigh in.

It’s not just the seamless connectivity that makes the Body Cardio scales smart, though – far from it in fact. Obviously the Body Cardio scales will tell you how much you weigh, but that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. You see as well as reporting your weight, the Body Cardio scales will also tell you what that weight is broken down into. Or to put it another way, these scales will tell you what you’re made of.

When the Body Cardio scales report your overall weight, they will also tell you what percentage of that weight is body fat, muscle and water. Understanding your body composition is vital for anyone looking to get fitter and healthier, since it gives you a clearer picture of whether your diet and activity routine are working.

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight you’ll know how disheartening it is when your weight loss plateaus, or even moves in the wrong direction despite maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine. However, it’s important to remember that just because you’re not losing weight, it doesn’t mean you’re not losing body fat. So, you could be getting healthier, fitter and stronger because you’re gaining muscle and losing fat, but your overall weight won’t drop!

That’s why it’s worth having the Body Cardio scales in your corner, giving you that detailed insight on what your body is doing, and how it’s reacting to your diet and exercise regime. Ultimately, if your body fat is dropping and your muscle mass is increasing, there’s no reason to get disheartened if your overall weight isn’t dropping.

But if you think this in-depth body composition analysis is the only thing that makes the Body Cardio scales smart, you need to think again. That’s just the Body part of the equation – the Cardio aspect is equally smart and just as impressive.

So what is the Cardio part of the equation? That takes the form of aortic pulse wave velocity measurement – all crystal clear now? Oh, okay then – so aortic pulse wave velocity is a way of evaluating cardiovascular health, and given how many life threatening conditions relate to cardiovascular health, that’s got to be a good thing, right?

In essence, the aortic pulse wave velocity test estimates arterial stiffness. Basically when your heart beats it creates a pulse wave that travels through the aorta and the corresponding network of arteries. The speed at which that wave travels gives an indication of the stiffness of your arteries – the faster the wave travels, the stiffer your arteries, which could be an indicator of future health problems.

The Withings Body Cardio scales will perform an aortic pulse wave velocity test every time you step on them, giving you a regular and on-going assessment of your cardiovascular fitness. And if your pulse wave velocity reading isn’t optimal, the Body Cardio scales can help you do something about that.

Being overweight can have a significantly negative impact on your cardio vascular health, and with a clear understanding of your body composition you can make those positive lifestyle changes to help reduce your weight and, more importantly, your body fat. As the weight and body fat falls off, your pulse wave velocity readings should improve.

It’s not as hard as you might think to make those positive lifestyle changes, either. The Withings Health Mate app will pair with MyFitnessPal, allowing you to log everything you eat and drink throughout the day, and if you also strap on a Withings fitness tracker – like the Activité Steel – it will also track every step you take and every calorie you burn.

So, while our world is stuffed full of smart tech, there’s no doubt that a set of smart scales can have a far greater impact on your health and wellbeing than most smart options. And when it comes to smart scales, the Withings Body Cardio is the smartest option.